Nigerian politician and wife guilty of flying street trader to UK in organ harvesting plot
Senator Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and medical "middleman" Dr Obinna Obeta, 50, were found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiring to exploit a young man from Lagos for his body part.The victim, a 21-year-old street trader from Lagos, was brought to the UK last year to provide a kidney to Sonia in an £80,000 private transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
Their daughter Sonia suffers from a "significant and deteriorating" kidney condition, prosecutors said.It is the first time defendants have been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ harvesting conspiracy. When their transplant bid failed, Sonia Ekweremadu's family, who have an address in Willesden Green, north-west London, switched to Turkey and set about finding more potential donors, it was alleged.An investigation was launched after the young man ran away from London and slept rough for days before walking into a police station more than 20 miles away Staines in Surrey, crying and in distress.
Dr Obeta then engaged with Dr Chris Agbo, of Vintage Health Group, a medical tourism company, as well as an agent to arrange a visa for the donor, the court heard. The court was shown messages in which Ike discussed with his brother the costs, including the donor fee of millions of naira , it was alleged.One forwarded message from Diwe complaining of a "huge invoice" from "Dr Chris", saying: "It looks like they're all out to exploit people's unfortunate situation."
Relaying his fears, he told police: "The doctor said I was too young but the man said if you do not do it here he would carry me back to Nigeria and do it there."In their trial, the defendants claimed they believed the donor was acting "altruistically".
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